My first colic

[Marsha Cassada]

My new horse colicked a few weeks ago. It was my first colic episode. I was right there at the onset, and at first I didn't know what was going on. Then my brain said "colic!" Called the vet; I had one dose of Banamine on hand and gave that, per vet instruction. We put him in the trailer for the classic trailer treatment. I rode in the back with him to keep him on his feet. Very difficult. Got home and called the vet, as my horse seemed worse, and he said bring him in. Sunday evening--of course! I rode in the back again and managed to keep him on his feet. Vet gave him another Banamine and dolorex,butorphanol. Poor gut sounds. He told me to leave him. He called a couple of hours later and said he oiled him and gave him another dolorex and he was up pretty well but not out of the woods. About an hour later he called and said we could come and get him, as he seemed to be doing all right.

Now I am so paranoid; every time I go out I'm nervous that he will be laying down. I ordered some prebiotics and am top dressing with it. Hopefully that will limit any future trouble. My thinking is, he had never been on natural pasture before and may have eaten something that caused it while browsing. We did have a weather change right before, and I've read that can cause colic. Vet asked about blister bugs in the alfalfa, but I am very careful about it. I checked the pasture and couldn't see anything abnormal. Kept them out of that pasture for a few days, but they are back in it now, and so far no more trouble.

My first colic, and I hope my last.

Two friends lost their miniatures to colic recently. One, the vet wanted to know what happened and did a necropsy and found a blood clot in the intestine, shutting off blood supply.

I noticed the new bag of Purina Lay Crumbles for my chickens were "new and improved"--prebiotics and probiotics added. I think there are quite a few innovations in nutrition now.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

The first colic episode is always a scary one. Glad to hear he is doing much better. Your instincts told you to act immediately and you did, probably saving his life

 

[paintponylvr]

I'm so happy it turned out well for you.

Which type of colic did your vet say he had? Impaction? OR?

I've found that different vets have different protocols for feeding after an impaction colic. I'd be curious to know what your vet had you do when you brought him home to re-introduce him to feed. Ours have always prescribed having the horse back on grass as soon as the oil is passed - but I've never dealt with the tiny minis that may not be able to handle grass at all. Tubing minis gets interesting, too. Tube sizes can be difficult to get small enough and I've been told by vets that they can't tube a mini.

Ask your vet about using an Epsom salt/table salt "drench" that you make yourself next time you might suspect a colic due to impaction due to serious weather changes and lack of drinking. Epsom salts are both a laxative (make stool softer easier to pass) and make them thirsty enough to drink more. The mix I've used is 1/4 cup Epsom salt to 1/8 cup table salt w/ enuff hot water to dissolve and make "liquidy" - then use a 60cc syringe to "tube" it into the back of his mouth. Takes practice to do this w/o wearing most of it yourself. What you get on your hands may make you itch. This is a lot for a mini though, not sure if the mix should be changed up.

I've only had 1 small shetland colic and while she was our horse and we/our vets took over her care - to this day I personally don't know what caused the colic or all the treatment they did w/ their vet in the 3 days previous to her showing up at our clinic. She was septic when she arrived and not expected to live - it was touch and go for 2 full weeks. She was monitored around the clock. Her stomach (they had continued to feed her) was pumped 3 separate times and she was oiled each time. We cheered (the whole clinic including clients who knew what was going on, and the boarding barn where she was at the time - stabled next to two horses also being treated after a highway trailer accident). She was on IV and antibiotics, removed and later put back on when she went downhill. No one is sure exactly what helped her "turn the corner" - but suddenly she got better! She also didn't lose the foal she was carrying and 4 months later produced a healthy, beautiful colt. That was in 2000/2001 and Stuffy(our first shetland foal) is still with us - no colic since then. She will be 19 in May 2015...

Also, when you have major weather changes, consider adding salt/mineral salt as a top dress to his feed, too. Mine all seem to go crazy over their mineral blocks during weather changes such as we are having now, so I add loose mineral salt to their feed. It seems to make a big difference - and I've also reduced feed right now, though I may regret it later. It's easier all the way around w/ the weather and our move (horses are all in temporary/leased quarters and will be moving a 2nd time in about a month). Smaller paddocks w/ different herd dynamics (more in larger groups/smaller area) - so stressful.

Yay for you for being a pro-active and prepared owner!!!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

He was allowed to have access to hay when he came home, but no grain/pellets. I did turn him out the next day onto pasture near the house. Do not know what kind of colic it was.

He is a good drinker.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Glad he is doing so well Marsha! I fear colic. This time of year here in pa we are getting freeze thaw freeze thaw and in spring and autumn when the weather is so unstable I don't like grazing my guys. I have one that is insulin resistant and stressed grasses aren't good for him either...

Not sure what you have there, but here we have grass in various stages of quality... We have been going from near 70 degrees to low 20's in temp and sometimes within 24 hours. Yesterday my son was wearing shorts and short sleeves and we had the barns all open, forecast for tomorrow is 6+ inches of snow and cold weather below freezing all day. For my boys I am always overly cautious and I bring them into my paddocks and feed fine high quality grass hay until the weather changes settle down.

So glad you had the banamine on hand! A must for my tack box.

thanks for sharing... good that you are observant and know your horse and recognized the signs so quickly.

best wishes!

 

[Barnmother]

I have had my share of colics over all the years I have had horses and ran a boarding and training stable.

We owned one arab gelding that came from a very poor situation and he would colic at the drop of a had. First symptom for him was standing at the back of his stall and pawing. We always made sure to feed him a soupy warm bran mash if he was on a day off, if the weather was changing, of anytime a new load of hay was brought into the barn. He suffered from an impaction type colic and we always called the vet to attend him. Usually oil and banamine was administered. He did eventually pass from a bout that included colic like symptoms, they were however different than any attack he had had previously. We treated him for over 24 hours and he was showing no improvement, we had decided to end his suffering and while the vet was preparing his cocktail he simply laid down quietly and passed over the rainbow bridge. It was my daughters first horse and her first real experience with the loss of a beloved friend.

Now I have one mini gelding that get's gas colic. He has overactive gut sounds like a coffee pot right when it finishes. Usually we just find him laying down when we are feeding and our clue is that he fails to get up to come eat the hay as we put it out. After calling the vet for him a couple of times, usually right after a drastic weather change, we have developed a protocol for dealing with his cranky gut. We get him up, there is usually a "kink" in his tail, take him to the barn and he gets banamine. We then put him into a completely stripped and cleaned stall with a camera. A big fresh bucket of water and no feed and we watch. Banamine lasts about 12 hours. Since this isn't an impaction colic we watch and as long as he is comfortable we wait for him to poop and pass gas. Once he poops then he gets a handful of hay. For each poop he gets another handful of hay. He has always been right as rain by the morning. He is not a super drinker no matter what we do. Beet pulp pellets soaked for several hours till they will take up no more water have been a great way to get extra water in him.

All of my horses have always been wormed regularly and receive excellent care and nutrition. Sometimes it just happens and there isn't anything you can do about it but treat the symptoms you are presented with and hope it doesn't happen again.

 

[madmax]

I am in Florida, but in the winter we can go from 70 degrees one day to a freeze and it is 30 degrees or a little colder within 24 hours. We have a few hard freezes each winter as well, ice over tops of buckets.

When this sudden change is coming, my vet always sends out an email to all of his clients to prepare the horses' guts by feeding a bran mash for the night before the change and then another in the morning. It helps pull water into the gut when their consumption of water is less because of the cold. Of course this is for trying to prevent an impaction caused by a sudden weather change. Can add oil as well. My horses love their bran mashes thank goodness.

 

[bevann]

barnmother I have had several with gas colics.Had my share of colics over the past 20+years and somebody elses shares too.I have used banamine and also used Gas-X strips that go on the tongue.I take 3 or 4 layered together (don't get your hands wet) and stick them in on horse tongue in the side where there are no teeth.I think it helped-didn't hurt.I keep them in the barn Hope you all have no colics.It is scary.